Beneath the Fallen Snow
by Atemusluckygal
Summary: Téa's POV. Téa shows the pharaoh how to experience this exciting winter weather phenomenon. Sweet, cute, fluffy. Set post-Battle City. YamixTéa


**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!**

**Set post-Battle City, pre-Waking the Dragons.**

**Téa's POV. She sure is snarky!**

* * *

**Beneath the Falling Snow**  
by Atemusluckygal  
The ALG Series

As much of a go-getter as I usually was, the first two days of winter break was reserved solely for unrestricted, uninterrupted sleep. I had failed nearly every school night to go to bed at a proper hour, and I repeatedly reaped the consequences for doing so. But, like a few of my school lectures, that lesson was just never learned, never retained.

But if one were to be in my position, to have such a respectable, mysterious, and devilishly attractive person to admire, one would also find oneself frequently curbing adequate sleep. You would've thought that fully realizing my silly crush to be something along the lines of a deeper, more profound admiration would benefit me in some way. At least I was being honest with myself, right?

But no. Upon my revelation, I had opened a door to my mind and my heart, to which he could, and did, enter and roam as he pleased. I was speaking metaphorically, of course, because if that happened literally I wouldn't know what to do with myself and I would've probably checked myself into a rehabilitation center. Deep in the recesses of my being was the last place he should've had access to. But the memory of him, any memory I could glean from any interaction with him, appeared in nearly anything I could think or dream about.

Anyway, my body's demands for proper care of itself was called to the forefront, and I nearly passed out on my bed – for thirteen hours. I woke up – bleary-eyed, groggy, and confused – at 7am. I remember going out for ice cream with the boys after the last day of school, and coming home around six to go _straight_ to my bed and take a "nap". Oops.

By the third day, however, I was about to seize this window of time which I had no annoying school-related obligations to worry about. It was beginning to snow, finally, and I loved the snow. Something about it had its own unique appeal than anytime else – the ethereal angelic white atmosphere was enthralling, and it reminded me of backdrops to ballet dance sequences.

In a moment of boldness, on an outing to the lightly snowed-upon town square with Yugi (the other boys, Joey and Tristan, were still sleeping through the day), I posed a question.

"Hey Yugi, has the Pharaoh ever experienced snow before?"

Since the inquiry related none to our previous conversation, Yugi was, expectedly, slightly surprised at the abrupt change of subject. To be honest, the question was waiting, dancing tauntingly on the tip of my tongue since I had left the house that afternoon. When I would've been able to ask… well, that part was largely uncalculated.

"Hmm, I don't think so," he pondered, as if he'd never considered the thought before, "even if it ever snowed in Egypt, he probably doesn't remember the experience anyway… or ever even left the pyramid to walk around in it, being pharaoh and all." With an innocent, very Yugi-like fashion, he cocked his head to the side and questioned, "why do you ask?"

"Oh, I dunno," I answered as casually as I could, shrugging my shoulders for added effect. I knew that follow-up question would come, but I did little to prepare actual words together. Silly me, to think I was so capable of doing so on the spot. While managing an overwhelmingly consuming crush on the person I was asking about, and trying _so_ hard to play it off like nothing. Yes, I was certainly so competent… not.

"Well I… uh… I don't know. Maybe it's something he'd enjoy?" My suggestion sounded so pathetically unconvincing to me. I could barely even recognize my voice. Surely, Yugi could've sensed the deviation from my normal demeanor.

I supposed he chose to ignore it, for now. "Yeah, he might like that! I will ask him later. A first experience of snow is something I wish I could have again!" And his endearing laugh filled the patio of the Italian café we inhabited, and I joined him in agreement. The sun was beginning to set around 5pm, and it was getting a bit cold for my liking. Yugi and I exchanged goodbyes, after resuming a more normal conversation thankfully unrelated to the man who haunts my dreams every night.

Thirty minutes after arriving home, I found myself on the couch in my living room, just sitting in silence contemplating the next step of action. The television was on low volume, but I paid it no attention. Mom and Dad were not home from work yet, and my old basset hound, Charlie, was curled on the rug before the fireplace.

Pealing through the silence was the telephone ringing, scaring me straight off my sitting spot. Charlie jumped up, too, before returning to his previous comfortable position. Why did Mom program such a loud ringtone for the landline? It was almost like an eerie horror movie, where the chick about to die dumbly picks up the phone and hears breathing, or screaming, or beeping, or… whatever.

However, the voice on the other end of the line on _my_ phone was far scarier than any of those. It was the Pharaoh's.

"Good evening, Téa," he greeted me with that sultry, impossibly radiantly low voice of his, so magnificently cordial it could've extended a hand and asked me to dance.

"Oh, hey Pharaoh! What's up?" Automatic response, of course, and basically trying to not say anything idiotic.

"I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to grant me a favor." Favor? Anything under the stars, especially if it had to do with liplocking under the falling snow… he can't sense thoughts through the phone, right? Can't I just focus on being a normal human being talking to another normal human being for like, five minutes?

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Well… Yugi earlier suggested that I could control the body for a day so I could experience the snow for the first time. The idea pleased me, and I would like to ask if you would do me the honor of spending tomorrow afternoon with me while I am out."

I felt my heart give an extra jolt of blood, and my voice caught in my throat. Since my mind was a regular in fantasy land, it was extremely hard to distinguish between his words in reality, and the words I had always imagined him saying before him ripping my clothes off. At that moment, I really, _really_ hoped that he couldn't read minds over the phone.

And then I belatedly realized, a good five seconds of me _not_ responding had passed. And that was a supremely awkwardly long time to not answer a direct question.

"Téa?"

Ra damnit. Why weren't my raging hormones on winter break, too?

"S-sorry. I would love to go but I must ask, why me?"

"I figured that you knew the city extremely well, and would provide a more proper itinerary for the day than I could. You must know some great places in the city to visit and really see the beauty of the snow."

I gulped and stupidly nodded into the phone. I did know a few places; he was correct about that. There was one place in particular that first came to mind – a rather secluded walkway entering a woodsy suburban area of Domino, known famously as the 'Lover's Corner'. I was sure my inward raunchy desires would be made perfectly apparent if I had deliberately brought him to a place where a bunch of teenagers were making out. So… probably not there.

His voice broke my thoughts with an added consideration, "plus, Joey and Tristan have been doing nothing but sleeping the past few days."

I couldn't help but laugh. Given his usual reserved character, it was very easy for him to be funny. Or maybe that was just me.

"Yeah, those boys will sleep for days on end sometimes. Every school break we have I can't even reach them until almost a week after the first day."

With no response coming, I rerouted the conversation back to his question. "I would love to show you around! I mean, you already saw a bit of Domino during Battle City, but there are plenty of other places to see. How about I come get you around noon?"

"Noon sounds perfect. Thank you, Téa. I look forward to this." With a simple goodbye from each of us, I was finally released from that precarious exchange, and I could comfortably release a squeal and bask in girlish delight with only Charlie as my audience. I just wished my behavior on the phone was not as moronic.

* * *

I hated that I could misplace my comb as many times as I did while simultaneously rummaging through my dresser for something suitable to wear. 'Where the hell did I put my comb?' I asked myself for the umpteenth time. I swore if my hair dried the way it sat at the moment, I would tuck it all in a beret and leave it at that. This was NOT about to be a bad hair day, no sir.

It was cold out, and I usually wore sweatpants to keep my lower body warm. But this was not a sweatpants kind of day. This was a jeans, blouse, and charming sweater kind of day. Of course all my jeans were dirty, except for one pair. It happened to be the pair that I slightly outgrew already, but I tried them on anyways, and _damn_ my butt looked good. The waistband was squeezing my hips and my thighs barely fit, but my bottom was defined and pronounced like I'd never seen it before. I probably stared into that mirror, body twisted so that I could see my backside, for a good five or so minutes. I contemplated finding something else to wear that actually fitted me, but I kept them on anyway. Even if I went on my anticipated idiotic babbling and slaughtered any chance in hell of winning his affections, at least my butt looked fantastic.

It took a minute or two, but my undersized jeans began molding into my post pubescent body, and walking in them became easier. I could feel the seams on the inside digging into my pelvic area, but I continued on and ignored it. Yami was waiting for me on the porch of the Game Shop as I was approaching, and I became acutely aware of each step I took – as if I had to remind myself to keep walking. His face was turned slightly away from me and I could see his breath frosting visibly in the chilly air, and he seemed rather comfortable in the cold climate.

The young, handsome pharaoh greeted me with a smile and a slight bow. "Good afternoon, Téa." His hands remained tucked in his black fleece vest, of which was darkened in contrast by his royal blue long sleeve sweater underneath it. Clothing the rest of him was a clean, slim pair of black jeans and his trademark studded boots. He sure knew how to dress himself… but who was I kidding? My ridiculous crush on him wouldn't be lessened by him walking outside wearing a trash bag.

We both decided we were hungry, and so we visited the same Italian café Yugi and I had visited yesterday (it was my favorite). After finishing up some delicious panini, we ventured into the heart of Domino, bypassing the long main street where I had taken him exploring before Battle City and taking a different road. This road I'd walked many times; some new card shops and my favorite boutique shops were there, one of which I had bought my undersized jeans from.

Speaking of which, did my butt still look good? Had he even gotten a peek yet?

Autumn Street took us to the park, of which Yami sourly remembered a failed, and dirty, pigeon feeding. No grey birds this time – only a beautiful blanket of pearly white snow that covered the grass and trees in a thick layer of slush. A few flush-faced children were laughing, running, playing, and making snow angels. Our boots crunched into the snow as we approached a bench to sit upon.

"Lovely," said the man of my dreams, as he gazed up at the frost-laden tree branches. I smiled, looking up with him, trying not to notice too much how close we were sitting to each other. My sweater barely touched his sleeve.

"Yeah, I love winter," I replied, with a wistful sigh.

"Thank you for accompanying me today, Téa. I greatly enjoyed myself."

_Do not touch his hand. Do not touch his hand. Whatever you do, do not touch his hand. Or kiss him. Definitely don't do that either._

I shook my head quickly, bringing my thoughts back to reality. Sheesh.

"No problem! I hope you're enjoying the weather! It doesn't snow enough here, in my opinion."

Yami nodded slowly, catching some falling snow in his glove. "It's amazing what exquisite scenery can be created, just from some frozen water falling from the sky."

An idea coming to my head, I added, "And there are so many things to do in the winter, too. I could play in the snow for hours!"

He shot me a curious gaze. "Like what, for example?"

I stood up, motioned for him to follow me, away from the bench and into a more open field of white. I scooped up some snow in my gloves and patted it into a ball. I could feel his curious gaze on me and my little development. With determination and bravery so oft lost in me, I tossed it at him, the snowball colliding into his vest and crumpled into large chunks before falling back onto the ground.

Yami jumped slightly, not expecting the assault. He stared down at his vest, then at me, mortified. "What was that?" he asked.

Crap… I did something stupid, didn't I? I was just trying to play around, but I had forgotten that he wasn't usually the type for recreational fun and stupid games. He was usually so serious, so stern, that he could've possibly taken that as some sort of attack. "It was just a snowball," I tried to offer as diplomatically as I could. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to anger you. It was just all in good fun." That was it – I royally screwed up. I knew it would happen. Not even my amazing bottom in my tight jeans would help this situation.

It was a tense few seconds of him nearly glaring at me, it felt like. "Let's start heading back," Yami finally said. His voice was even and controlled. His face showed no understanding or even a hint of amusement. Just stark and solemn. Great. I ruined everything _and_ I offended him. Way to go, dimwit.

We were crossing through the open park to get to the street, past the laughing children and the tiny snow angels, when I found myself almost incapable of concealing my shame. It was an uneasy feeling that kept a heavy weight on my heart. I lost myself in thought for a moment, trying to come up with a convincing apology.

I looked to my right to attempt to deliver one, and I found no one beside me.

I looked to my left; no one either. What? Where was he?

I fully turned around, just in time for a cold, flying object to crash into my shoulder and fall apart upon impact. It didn't hurt, but it scared the living daylights out of me. A squeak jumped out of my throat as I violently recoiled. And Yami, the ever so reserved spirit of an ancient pharaoh, who I had greatly insulted, was laughing. More like losing himself in a fit of warm, jesting chuckles. So I _didn't_ offend him after all.

_That sneaky bastard!_

I quickly bent down and shoveled as much snow as I could into my hands, and hurtled whatever mass I could gather at him. It barely reached him; he jumped out of the way just in time, and he chucked a more spherically defined snowball at me, hitting my thigh. He ran, and I followed.

Joy and relief swelled my heart as we played in the snow, laughing merrily. In truth, I had never seen or imagined Yami even close to this cheerful and, well, light-hearted. I only ever really saw him when he came out of the puzzle, and that was only when danger loomed. There were obviously no opportunities for him to just come out and have fun, aside from that "date" Yugi schemed up for us. Even then… he was so downtrodden by not knowing himself that he was still very much reserved and reluctant to show a carefree side.

But now, he was basically an eleven year old child. He ran about, throwing snowballs at me and attempting to dodge mine, treating it as a game like he always would – but with no stakes and the only danger was his shirt getting wet. Was it really the snow that was bringing this out in him? Or was he really learning to temporarily relieve himself of worldly duties and just… _live_? Be _human_ for once?

My foot slipped, and all my ponderings were thrown out of my ear as I came tumbling down into the winter frost. I was still laughing, and Yami trotted over to me, presumably to see if I was okay, still wearing a wide grin on his face.

"Are you alright?" he asked, still hiding a chortle.

I raised my head to meet his eye level. A devious smile crossed my lips. "I'm fine, which means you better start running!"

The pharaoh backed away slowly, still waiting cautiously for my next move, that smirk still sitting proudly on his lips. One of his hands was pulled behind his back, and I knew he had an attack waiting for me. Luckily, I had one waiting for him as well.

I sprung from my kneeling position, ready to strike, when I heard a faint _ripping _sound. And then I felt a chilly breeze caressing the bottom of my underwear.

No. No no no no _no_.

I shrunk back to the ground immediately, my face and neck heating up fast. The surprise on my face was probably very evident, as I didn't think to try hiding it before it was too late. Within seconds, Yami was before me again, concern marking up his features. "Are you hurt, Téa?" He was back to serious again. But, really, what do I even tell him? That I picked out jeans that were clearly too tight so I could pronounce my butt more, and I just paid the price by splendidly embarrassing myself beyond all measure? Moral of the story – wear clothing that fits.

The wintry weather did little to relieve the fire igniting my cheeks and ears, and instead just reminded me of my dilemma by delivering an cold draft to my split denim and satin underwear. "I'm fine. I just…" I avoided his eyes, not wanting to see what reaction he could have at my pathetic predicament. "I ripped my jeans."

The air was silent for a moment, and for a split second Yami stared at me, not quite sure how to react or respond. Instead, he snorted, releasing a laugh he could no longer hold in. Well… at least I got him to laugh, twice in a day, both times at my own expense; that part I didn't mind so much. He calmed down after a few seconds, dropping the ball of snow he had in his hand earlier.

"I apologize, Téa. I should not laugh at you. Forgive me; I couldn't help myself."

I used one of my free hands to wipe some stray hair from my face, revealing a soft smile and rosy cheeks and nose. "It's totally fine, I can't really blame you. This is pretty embarrassing! I would certainly laugh at any of the boys if the same thing happens to them!"

He extended a hand and helped me to stand, though I kept one hand behind me, feebly attempting to cover the incision on the bottom of my jeans. I was thankful he didn't even try to look, and instead offered me his vest. Fortunately, it was long enough to cover my backside down to my upper thigh, so the walk back home wouldn't be broadcasting what underwear I was wearing today. I thanked him profusely, of course. What a gentleman.

"Would you like to go home, now? Or is there something else you would like to visit?"

In truth, I would've loved to at least stop home and change out of this fashion nightmare. But Domino Pier was just a few blocks away…

"We could," I responded. "Or… we could go to the pier for a little bit if you want. The lake looks amazing when it's iced over."

The pharaoh gave an obliging nod, offered me his arm, and we strolled together down the main road, looking every bit like a winter romance. People were beginning to hang holiday décor on their store windows. We could faintly hear a jazz trio, playing renditions of winter songs in a nearby café. The familiar heavy sweet scent of hot cocoa wafted in our noses as we passed some coffee shops. Downtown Domino was glorious this time of year.

We walked past the arcade, reviving some fond and not-so-fond memories of our last visit there. Yami caught me glancing at it. "Do you remember that day?" he pointed at the entrance.

Well, duh! I got to completely trounce a guy on the dance machine in front of my crush. The man I was possibly in love with. The man who defended my honor when my sore loser came back for another bite.

"Of course I remember!" I exclaimed, with less-than-veiled enthusiasm. "That was the first time I'd ever played on a dance game like that before. It was a lot of fun!"

Yami seemed astonished at my response. "You hadn't used that machine before, at all? I would've never guessed. You dominated that game like you've been using it all your life."

Color me pink. Seriously. What did I do to deserve such flattering remarks from someone so incredible, in every sense of the word?

"Th-thanks! I guess it's sort of like when you duel, and you've never played on that kind of platform before, or when you first tried on Kaiba's Duel Disk. The arena might be different, but what you know of the game… or dance, is the same."

"I see," he replied simply. We made it to the pier, and we disengaged our connect at the arms to lean them over the frozen railing. As I had promised, the lake had iced over, and I wondered why people didn't strap on some ice skates and skate around. Well… wait. Probably because in almost every movie when that happens, the ice breaks and some loser nearly dies from falling into the water below. Nevermind. No thanks.

"It really is beautiful," commented the pharaoh. Strangely, he didn't look very cold, even though only a thin blue sweater hugged his upper body. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"You're welcome. This is one of my favorite spots, pretty much year 'round, but especially around this time."

"I can see why."

Silence dragged on as the minutes went by, but it didn't feel uncomfortable. We simply just beheld the scenery together, just him and I. For once, my hormone-filled thoughts that treaded on the more "vulgar" side of things were stored away, and I just enjoyed his company. As many times as I had visited this spot on my own, having a companion to share it with just sweetened the experience.

"Can I tell you something?" his heavenly voice broke the stillness, and warmed me to my toes.

"Sure, anything!"_ As long as it's not "I know you like me but we should stay friends"._

"There's another reason I wanted you to be the one to come with me today, besides the reason I gave you. It's because you've proven to be a loyal friend and a caring heart, and you are the person I trust the most."

My heated face shied away from him, grinning like the goofy girl I was, when he continued. "Yugi insisted that you would be helpful to me, just as he did before Battle City, when he planned that outing for us. He speaks highly of you, Téa, and I always see why when I'm around you.

"If I'm being perfectly honest with you, Téa, since Battle City had ended, I've been moderately depressed. With how close we came to losing all of our lives, and the horrors of what we saw during that whole tournament kept me thinking… what if the next challenge is too much? What if I was to fail everyone, and the world plunges into darkness? I know that my destiny, my true calling to this world, has not yet been fulfilled, and I fear the day anyone gets hurt, or killed, or lost forever in the Shadow Realm because they get caught in the crossfire between me and whoever my real enemy is.

"Yugi sensed my distress, and told me that we needed to stop waiting around for the next enemy. We needed to reserve at least a few days for pleasure and luxury. After all, we constantly fight for our lives; don't we deserve to live them?"

"Of course you do," I answered earnestly. "You guys are always in danger. You should be enjoying the days when you're _not_ in danger!"

"And I've realized that a day I could fully enjoy could only be achieved by being with someone that I trust as much as I trust Yugi."

_Whoa, that's some heavy confidence he's giving me. I hope I can still live up to it._

A warm pressure covered my glove, and I looked down to see his hand resting atop mine and grasping it lightly. "I hope what I've said isn't too much. But I care deeply for you, Téa, and I will never allow danger to befall you again. I wanted you to know that."

My heart was now beating frantically against the inner walls of my chest. Had he ever been this openly honest with anyone, even Yugi? I was pretty sure more words came out of his mouth just now than how many words I'd heard him say the entire time I'd known him! This excluded duels, of course, but seriously! He was showing me a side that not everyone got to see, and I felt truly privileged.

"It's not too much at all, are you kidding? That's the nicest thing that's ever been said to me, by anyone. Pharaoh, you can always trust me no matter what. I didn't know I was such a big help to someone so confident, self-assured, and capable as you are, but I will surely continue trying my best."

Yami's hand's grip on mine tightened some. His eyes slid closed and a contented smile stretched his lips. "Thank you, Téa. This means a great deal to me."

How I wanted to just… melt into his arms. Or have him pull my face to his and kiss me softly. My knees became weak at the resurgence of these thoughts, but the courage (that got me to throw a snowball at him) was simply not there.

"Let's start heading home," he said. "The sun will set soon, and it's getting a bit windy." I nodded, and we started on our way, passing by the walkway that led to Lover's Corner. If only...

Along the way, Yami insisted that he'd walk me home, even though I was only a few blocks away from him. We stood at the doorway of my house, facing each other, and I'm trying not to do or say anything stupid and spoil the mood he so graciously set with his monologue at the pier.

"I can bring Yugi the vest tomorrow," I offered. Because there was no way I was taking it off before going inside. I didn't even know the extent of the damage, yet.

"Actually, Yugi convinced me to take tomorrow for myself as well. I don't know why – it's his life, but he was very persistent. So I will likely be the one you'll see tomorrow."

I gave him a pleased smile, hopefully not revealing how _stoked_ I actually was. "Oh, great! I guess I'll… I'll see you then?"

"Yes. I look forward to it. I'll see you tomorrow, Téa. And again, thank you for everything."

And just before I reached for the doorknob, Yami leaned in and planted a gentle, affectionate kiss on my cheek, stretching time as long as time would allow. My heart gave up beating and dropped itself low into my stomach, and I was sure my face was nearing boiling point at that moment. His tender lips were so divine in their careful softness, caressing my flesh lovingly, before releasing. My entire body was threatening to melt into a puddle, right there on the doorstep. My legs shook. My head was swimming in the moment, wanting to enjoy it and yet wanting to scream about it at the same time. By the time my eyes had refocused and my brain finally had a chance to process, the pharaoh was halfway down the block.

I entered my warm home, hugging his vest close to my body, my heart still beating erratically. The spot on my face where he kissed me still lingered in holiness. My mother, still in her apron, saw me come in. I ran to my room without so much as a quick hello, just so I could praise the holy Egyptian Gods above in privacy - and, of course, to get out of these accursed jeans.

I couldn't _wait_ for tomorrow.

* * *

END


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